NARIC guide on Higher Education Systems in the European Union

II.3. Organisation of courses of study
In general, the academic year begins around September/October and finishes towards the end of September of the next year.
The duration of an academic school year is laid down: a minimum of 1 500 and a maximum of 1 800 hours per year. This is
the number of hours estimated to be required for learning the subject matter. These are the total number of contact hours and
seminars and hours of independent study. Each training course, each school year and each subject are quantified in a number
of study points.
The universities and hogescholen can offer their training courses in the form of contact education or in the form of open
education (distance learning). Offering distance courses implies the development of study in form and content. They can offer
full-time courses and part-time courses separately in order to obtain an academic degree.
Students take about one or two weeks to prepare for the examinations. At the end of each year, the student’s knowledge of the
subject matter is assessed by means of examinations, usually both theoretical and practical. There are two examination
periods: June-July and September. The student can sit for an early examination at the end of the first semester (January-
February).
The regulations outline a minimum period of study for each cycle per discipline. The student must successfully conclude each
cycle or period of study, before being allowed to start the next cycle.
(a) Hogescholen
(i) Basic training courses
one-cycle courses offered by the hogescholen are undertaken within a single cycle of specialised training which
takes three years;
two-cycle courses consist of a first cycle, which takes two years and a second cycle, which takes two or three
years.
supplementary courses;
specialisation courses;
teacher training.
(iii) Post-hogeschool training
Besides basic and advanced training, the hogescholen offer a form of further training courses.
(b) University sector
(i) Basic academic training courses, divided into two cycles: a first cycle of two or three years leading to the
intermediate university qualification and a second cycle of two, three or four years leading to the final university
qualification.
The first cycle mainly provides a wide general basic training; the second year of the initial cycle provides more and
more specific options and choices of courses, in preparation for the second cycle.
The second cycle provides for each main subject a specialised training culminating in a thesis or project paper. The
options and main subjects within the same discipline have a common basis.